Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds

Chapter 4 surrounds the issue of ensuring one’s presentation is fresh, either by using new information or presenting familiar information in a novel way. The human brain is inclined toward novelty and gravitates toward unfamiliar solutions to old problems. For this reason, a new or unique perspective stands a better chance of catching an audience’s attention. Even if people don’t have much interest in the topic, “As long as you relate your topic to the audience by teaching them something new they can use in their daily lives, you’ll hook them, too” (115).

Human beings are hardwired to learn. By presenting information in a novel and thrilling manner, a speaker can elevate the dopamine levels in the audience’s brains, tapping into their innate desire to learn. Dopamine’s highly addictive nature explains why encountering new information gives people an intense natural high. This chemical boost also aids in the retention of information. For his discussion on presentations using new information, Gallo uses deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard and director James Cameron as examples. In his TED Talk, Ballard presented the issue of how little humans have explored the Earth’s oceans compared to space, noting the information researchers have uncovered about the oceans’ alien landscapes.